3GPP LTE and Wi-Fi use centralized architectures where user sessions are managed in highly centralized data centers or central offices. Due to the proliferation of highly functional user equipment (UE) that allow users to multi-task, for example, surf the internet, instant message and stream videos at the same time, the handling of user sessions in the data centers or central office can approach the performance limits of the data centers or central office.
In addition, with the increased deployment of small cells, het-net, machine to machine (M2M), and networks of devices, where thousands or millions of devices are attached, there are a large number of user sessions, some of which are more local (i.e., originate and terminate in nearby locations), while others are more distant. Each of these devices may be mobile. An evolved packet core (EPC) network anchors the Internet protocol (IP) session centrally and thus is able to maintain the same IP session while a device transitions between layer 2 anchor points.